She's all Smiles

Kaitlyn has been smiling more often and loves it when I make a popping noise with my mouth. I took this video tonight after I got home from work. I'd like to think she was happy to see me :-) Check out the video to see the dimpled one in action. Warning: Cute alert!

First Bath

Today, we attempted giving Kaitlyn a bath in the bathtub for the first time. Up to this point, we've just given her sponge baths, but her belly button has healed nicely, so it was time for a real bath. After putting the tub together (yes, assembly was required since there's a battery operated shower head used to rinse off the soapy baby), we filled it up and started the process.

Kaitlyn's initial reaction was to cry a bit, but she quickly got used to being wet and didn't mind it after the initial shock. I actually thought we were going to get pretty wet, but the tub came with a platform that holds the baby above the water in the tub, so splashing wasn't an issue. After soaping her up and rinsing her off, we were finished and she was clean. Then, we dried her off and I held her as she fell asleep fairly quickly. Mission "Baby Bath" was a success.

The Ceiling Fan is Entertaining

For some reason, Kaitlyn loves to lay on the couch and stare up at the ceiling fan. I'm not sure what the big draw is, but I suppose that she likes to look at the contrasting colors. Whatever she wants... if she's happy, we're happy. The video below shows her doing baby things as she stares at the fan.

At this point, she sleeps for about 4 hour stretches at a time, which is pretty good for us (mostly Shawnna, since she's the one who gets up for the early morning feeding). She drinks 4 oz of milk every 3 to 4 hours and is getting bigger all the time. We haven't been to the doctor for a couple of weeks to get her official weight, but she's got to be over 8 pounds by now.

I've been back to work for a week now and it's definitely not where I would rather be. I have plenty of pictures and surely don't mind showing them to anyone who asks ;-) I've been taking the early train home to spend as much time with Kaitlyn as possible and still get my job done. It's a tough balance, but we have to make it work although I'd much rather spend all my time watching her. Check out the video below to see why.

The Belly Button has Arrived

After three weeks, the remaining portion of Kaitlyn's umbilical cord finally fell off this morning. There was a bit of blood (which is normal), but she didn't seem to be in any discomfort. That means we can start giving her actual baths instead of the sponge baths we have given her up to this point. I'm curious to see how she'll like the water - and how wet we're going to get.

I haven't posted anything in about a week, but nothing big has been happening. Tomorrow is my first day back at work and I'm not looking forward to it. It's been so nice being at home for the last three weeks getting to know my little girl. I'm sure it's going to be tough to concentrate at work, but somebody has to pay for all those diapers we're going through.

Here's some pictures from the past week.

Kaitlyn in the Newspaper

Today, Kaitlyn made her first appearance in the newspaper. Specifically, she was in the "Who's New" section of the Tracy Press. I sent her info to the paper while we were at the hospital and they got most of the info right. However, they did spell my grandparents last name wrong (Schmidy instead of Schmidt). Oh well, everyone can't be perfect. Here's how it looked:

Studio Portraits from July 9, 2007

We took these pictures last Monday, but I'm just getting around to posting them. These are the first "professional" pictures we took after Kaitlyn's birth. Judging by these shots, I think she's a natural. She slept through most of it and didn't mind being moved and posed at the direction of the photographer. I think I sense the beginning of a potential income stream... just kidding - no JonBenet here (was that over the line? ;-)

Doctor Visit & Goopy Eye

Kaitlyn had her regularly scheduled checkup today at the pediatrician to make sure she was progressing normally and gained the weight back that she lost after she was born (which is normal). She was born at 7 lbs 7 oz and when she left the hospital, she was 7 lbs 3 oz. Today at the doctor's office, she weighed in at 7 lbs 11 oz. I'd say she isn't having any issues gaining weight. You can view her growth chart here (http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=p7HOdSNxDv6_Z02p2ufFMEw) and I also posted her growth chart in the left hand column and will keep it updated every time she's measured.

The worst part of the doctor visit was the Hepatitis B shot she had to get. I think it hurt Shawnna more than Kaitlyn as she started to cry before the shot was given. Kaitlyn screamed when they stuck the needle in her left hip and she continued to cry until Shawnna was able to scoop her up and comfort her. Kaitlyn seemed to get over it fairly quickly, but I think Shawnna might have nightmares about that scream. There's more where that came from, though, since that was the first in a series of immunization shots she'll receive over the next couple of years. We'll have to learn how to help Shawnna cope ;-) You can see her Band-aid in the photo on the left.

Before we took her to her appointment, she started getting "goopy eye." The doctor said it was probably just due to the fact her tear ducts are still developing, but it was starting to get red, so she got a prescription for an antibiotic (erythromycin). We need to put it on her lower eyelid three times a day. It doesn't seem to bug her which is good. So far, she's a very tolerant baby. She gets the hiccups a lot, but she doesn't get frustrated or cry even though her whole body moves every time she hiccups. Admire the goop in the picture to the right - it's easier to see if you click on it to view the bigger version.

I had to post this photo that shows Kaitlyn in her "milk coma." When she gets hungry and starts her hungry cry, we scramble around to feed her and she sucks the milk down like she's never eaten before. After gorging herself on milk, sometimes she gets this look on her face and looks drunk. It's pretty funny and something I'm sure she'll love to look at when she gets older - ha!

This Mommy thing...

is so amazing! I know other mom's who've said this, but until you become one yourself (and other mom's say this too) you really don't know the meaning of how amazing it truly is. It's quite overwhelming how much love you can have for one person that's so tiny. You love, protect and beam with pride over this bundle that you created. And you feed, burp, change and console this little person that is virtually helpless. It is a complete honor to be Kaitlyn's mommy and provide everything for her that she needs. I don't know what we'd do without her now that she's here.
And as Dave and I celebrate our 5 year wedding anniversary tomorrow, I count my blessings that I have such a wonderful family, we all have our health and all of our basic needs are met - and then some! Yes, we are very fortunate to lead this life we have and are happy to share our good fortune with our daughter.
I look forward to all of her firsts, and will proudly share them all with our family and friends. Keep checking back for the latest. Dave has tons of pictures to go along with the stories of our adventures with Kaitlyn.

Video of Kaitlyn Sleeping

I just discovered that my phone can take video which can easily be uploaded to YouTube and shared with everyone. Well, below is my first attempt which shows Kaitlyn sleeping. Now that I know this is a possibility, I'll post more interesting videos in the future, but I could personally watch her sleeping for hours - this will be fun :-) Just click on the image below (it might take 2 clicks) and the video will play.

Winner of "Guess the Baby's Details" and new pictures

OK, here's the moment you've all been waiting for. These are the winners for the "Guess the Baby's Details" contest:

Overall Score: Dan (my brother)
Birth Date/Time: Dan (my brother) - Guessed July 1 at 6:15pm (2 hours, 33 minutes off)
Gender: 10 people guessed correctly (girl)
Weight: Kelly (friend) - Guessed exact weight (7lbs 7ozs)
Length: 6 people guessed correctly (20 inches)

As stated previously, the winners get the valuable prize of bragging rights. Click the image below for the full list of results. Congratulations bro on your impressive victory. You are indeed the master guesser.

First Night at home

Our first night at home went pretty well, at least for me. I actually got about 6 hours of sleep. Shawnna had to get up a few times during the night to feed and soothe Kaitlyn, but she said Kaitlyn slept for about 4 hours straight at one point. Our strategy seems to be that Shawnna will let me sleep during the night and she'll take naps during the day. She took a couple of good naps today between visitors. I caught a few z's as well when nobody was looking, except for the camera (busted). Amy came over in the morning and Aunt Gayle, Cousin Heidi, Aunt Leanna and Uncle Jeff came in the afternoon. We all just hung out and everyone took a turn holding the baby.

So far, Kaitlyn's been very good and doesn't cry very much. She's had the hiccups several times and that doesn't even seem to phase her. The only times she tends to cry is when she's hungry or needs a diaper change. If neither of those things need tending to, the pacifier usually does the trick. At this point, she sleeps most of the time with occasional breaks to look at her surroundings. I wrap her up like a chimichanga (I call her my mini-chimi), but she doesn't like her arms forced down by her sides, so she always wiggles her way out of the wrap so her hands can be by her face. She has some pretty long nails and I was concerned that she would scratch her face, so she had another first - Aunt Leanna gave Kaitlyn her first manicure. She didn't seem to mind as she slept through it. Let the pampering of the princess begin...

Home from the hospital

Today, we came home from the hospital after the mandatory 2 night stay. This was exciting, but a little scary as well. Now we're on our own and don't have the option of having the nurse take Kaitlyn to the nursery so we could get some sleep. Shawnna had to be discharged by her doctor and Kaitlyn had to be discharged by the pediatrician. Then we watched a car seat safety video and were ready to go by 11am. We needed to stop at the grocery store before heading home, so Kaitlyn had her first public outing. Several people ooh'd, aah'd and melted when we told them she was just 2 days old - she can already turn on the charm.

We got home at noon and it was a proud moment being able to show Kaitlyn her new home where she'll grow up (regardless of the fact she was asleep most of the time). The fun began as we had a lot of firsts:

• First spit-up on my shirt (I'm going to wear more t-shirts instead of Hawaiian shirts from now on)


• First spit-up all down her front (different incident from above) which was followed by:


• First bath at home


• First load of laundry (we've only been home half a day!?!)


• First nap while Kaitlyn was napping (Shawnna napped while I watched a movie next to Kaitlyn)


• First meal brought by someone else (thanks to our neighbors Marvin, Rowena and Jaicob - the lasagna was awesome!)

So far, so good. I know it's only day 2, but this is pretty awesome. It's still amazing to look at her and think she's a combination of Shawnna and I. We've already started to try to pick out the things that she got from each of us (my dimples, Shawnna's nose). Overall, people say she looks like Shawnna and that's not such a bad thing ;-) Time for another first - first night at home, so wish us luck.

Kaitlyn Belle Cutforth - Born July 1, 2007

Kaitlyn Belle Cutforth
Born: July 1, 2007
Time: 3:42pm
Weight: 7lbs 7oz
Length: 20.25in

It's past 11:00pm on July 1st and I'm tired, so I'll keep this short. Shawnna ended up being in labor for close to 40 hours. She was pushing for the final 2 hours. While that sounds like a crazy, marathon session, it really wasn't that bad (and yes, Shawnna agrees with that statement :-) Yesterday, we went to the hospital at about 3pm thinking it was time (she had been having minor contractions starting late Friday night), but were sent home because Shawnna "wasn't uncomfortable enough." We went back home, ate dinner and I got a little rest while Shawnna tried to get short naps between contractions. The contractions didn't get really painful until the wee hours of this morning when I was woken up by Shawnna's groans. We went back to the hospital at about 6:45am and while Shawnna was being examined, her water broke. From that point on, the key was pain management until the epidural was administered at which time Shawnna felt hardly any pain and was able to actually get some rest while her body did its thing until the pushing started. When Shawnna felt the pressure of a contraction, she would push 3 times for 10 seconds each. This lasted for a couple of hours until Kaitlyn made her appearance at 3:42pm.

I know it's cliche, but it was an amazing experience to see our baby being born and I was even able to cut the umbilical cord. The moment she was born, she started to cry and a quick check confirmed that she had all her fingers and toes and was as healthy as can be. Her APGAR score was 10 out of 10, five minutes after birth. So, she's already started out her life perfect in every way and is clearly the most beautiful baby in the history of the world (completely unbiased assessment ;-) Well, that was enough excitment for one day - time for bed.